I'll Be Here
by GeekFairy
Summary: Leon, Cloud and their friends work as a dysfunctional family, struggling to restore Hollow Bastion to its former glory. Will they stick together, or will strained relationships tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

It had been a while since we had come here… maybe six or seven months. The Heartless and Nobodies still wandered aimlessly around Hollow Bastion, driving most of the people away. It was nothing we couldn't handle, of course, but enough to make life difficult. We all shared an abandoned house, for safety's sake, considering the fact that we were ambushed every week or so. So here I was, Cloud, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid and I, holed up in a smelly little house in the middle of Hollow Bastion. What a joy.

We were civil. I wouldn't say we were all best buddies, by any means, but we were okay. A dysfunctional family, if you will. Yuffie and I were close, as much as I hated to admit it. And don't get any ideas - if anything, she was a sister to me. We looked out for each other; although, I don't think she really needed looking out for. She was a tough little brat, despite her small stature.

Aerith looked out for all of us, but seemed to take a heavier kindness towards me in particular. I wasn't sure why, considering the fact that I hadn't said more than two words to her the entire time we were here. I barely knew anything about her, but she was a sweet girl; light-hearted.

Cid was a crotchety old fart, but he was always there for us, almost as a father figure; especially towards Yuffie. He looked out for her specifically, and thought of her like a daughter. When he wasn't needed, he kept to himself by working on blueprints and programs.

But Cloud and I… our relationship was the strangest. We hardly ever talked, and when we did, it was brief. And yet, we knew almost everything about each other. Almost. But whenever the shit hit the fan, we always stayed close, looked out for each other. We had saved each other's asses a few times. And yet... It was almost as if none of it had ever happened.

I was ripped from my thoughts as Yuffie's high-pitched voice rang out, calling my name._ "Squaaaall!!"_ she cried, trotting into the living room rambunctiously as usual. I cringed, repeating like I always did, **"Leon."** Rolling her eyes, she continued. "Squall, I'm going out with Aerith and Cid for a bit. We're gonna go to raid the town. You wanna come?" I shook my head idly, lost in my own thoughts. It had occurred to me that Cid never let the girls go out by themselves. But it was the same old stuff - she knew my reply before it even fell from my lips. "Nuh-uh.. I'ma stay here with Cloud, hold down the fort," I muttered halfheartedly. She rolled her eyes again and shrugged, leaving the room.

I sat for a few minutes, half-listening to the three others leaving the house, half-listening to the TV. About twenty minutes of staring at infomercials passed before I spotted it - a little black blob sliding over the carpet. It took me a minute to realize what it was, mostly because I hadn't expected to see one in the house. There, in the middle of the living room, sat a Shadow heartless, eyeing me curiously. "Fuck," I muttered, standing up and kicking it across the room.

Shadows were pretty much harmless, but it still worried me that one had been able to get in the house. I picked up an empty mug from the coffee table and chucked it at the thing, which disappeared in a black puff of defeat. Shaking my head, I stood up and headed for Cloud's room.

I didn't bother knocking - no one around here did, usually. I simply opened the door to his bedroom and stuck my head in. I opened my mouth to speak, but paused when I saw him scrambling to put something away, what had appeared to be a photograph. I pretended that I hadn't seen it and continued to speak. "Hey, we've got a problem. There was a Shadow in the house," I muttered.

He watched me for a moment, raising his brow curiously. "Just now?" he asked. I nodded and waved for him to follow. I headed back to the stairs, grabbing my gunblade on the way down the hall for good measure - and stopped at the top of the stairs when I saw them. There were probably seventy-five or so Shadows, and another fifty Dusks milling around the downstairs now, too stupid to have yet come to the second floor.

I held my arm out, stopping Cloud in his path. "Look," I muttered. He cringed, but I noticed him mostly looking at my arm in front of him that just barely brushed his chest. I dropped it back to my side, dodging his glance. "What now?" he muttered, shaking his head. "We can't take them all." I shook my head in disagreement, pointing back to his room. "Go get your sword. We're damn well gonna try."

I didn't wait for him to find his sword in his unholy mess of a bedroom before charging down the stairs, slashing at several Dusks that had decided to climb them. I took down about twenty of the little bastards before glancing around, realizing there was a lot more than I had originally thought. They weren't strong, but they were sneaky little shits in numbers.

I looked for Cloud, who was still nowhere to be seen. "Cloud, god damn it, where the hell are you!?" I yelled, swinging my blade at everything around me. He ran down the stairs a second later, holding his sword out like a joust. I slashed my way towards him, being careful to stay close by, not wanting to lose him in the waves of shadows. And of course, to protect my own ass too, as much as I hated to admit it. There was no way either of us could take this many enemies on our own; no matter how weak they were individually.

We continued to slash our way through the droves of Shadows and Dusks, both becoming equally exhausted, as our lethargic movements proved. Minutes that seemed like years passed before they eventually became too much to handle, hundreds of them swarming over me and climbing my body. It didn't take much longer for the darkness to swallow me whole.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had been out cold for a while, but I never thought I'd worry so much. Leon was always the most capable of taking care of himself, so I had never been faced with a situation like this. I watched him as he slept, sitting by his bedside, listening to his soft, steady breathing. I never realized how handsome he was before - I suppose because now, he couldn't scowl in his sleep. I reached over and brushed a small lock of hair from his face. He flinched in reply. _'God, Leon... You have no idea how much I just wish I could…'_

I was ripped from my thoughts as Leon's eyes opened halfway, blinked a few times, and finally opened to look at me. Those beautiful, deep blue eyes looked up at me, a mix of confusion and tiredness brewing in them. "Hey sleeping beauty," I muttered half-sarcastically, offering him a crooked smile. He groaned, rubbing his head. "What the fuck happened...?" he muttered.

"Well... Cid and the girls came back a few minutes after you got knocked out. We figured out where they were getting in and fought the rest off... Someone left the god damn window open," I replied. Leon rolled his eyes, sighing. "Mmm... figures... How long have I been out?"

"'Bout... Three hours," I muttered softly. He raised an eyebrow. "You been here the whole time?" he asked. I looked away sheepishly. "Just about. On and off, anyway…" I mumbled, then added quickly, "Aerith and Cid were here too." He watched me curiously for a second - he obviously didn't buy the part about the other two - before closing his eyes and giving the tiniest, faint smile. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Surprised, I nodded - and then realized he couldn't see me - and murmured softly in return, "Anytime." A few more moments of watching his soft expression passed, before I figured he had fallen back asleep.

It tickled me a bit to think how he had absolutely no idea how much I wanted, right that moment, to simply lean down and take those soft lips in my own. And god, what would he think if he did know? He'd probably deck me right in the face… Or run screaming.

Either way, I figured now would be the best time to simply let him rest, rather than rape his face and leave him emotionally scarred for the rest of his life. Chuckling halfheartedly at myself, I stood and left the room - pausing to take just one more lingering glance at his soft, handsome face.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

Waking up the second time wasn't any easier. I always had trouble getting out of bed, but when you've been knocked around a bit first, it becomes almost impossible to move. But begrudgingly, I pushed myself up off of my mattress, groaning at the pain that struck my torso. I guess I had underestimated the beating I had received. Flipping my legs around and off the side of the bed, I forced myself to stand, which only made matters worse. My vision blurred and faded to black for a split second, and the stuff I could see spun around like a carousel. I tried to regain my balance, but instead flopped back onto the bed behind me. "Ow."

I heard the bedroom door open, and a little glimmer of happiness flickered inside of me – at least, until I heard that unmistakable giggle. Sigh. "Did I really just hear you _fall over?_" Yuffie muttered, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. She had just come in from working out; I could always tell, not because she got sweaty or anything, but because she always got cocky. She was incredibly proud of her flawless figure, and she loved to show it off with tight, short little outfits. But it wasn't for anyone but herself – she knew the only men in this household weren't interested in her.

"Shut up and help me, will ya?" I muttered, extending a hand for her to pull me up. It wasn't like she didn't have the strength to do it. So up I went as she tugged at my hand, lifting me as if I weighed only a few pounds.

"Nnh… thanks," I mumbled as I tried to regain my balance, the room still spinning a bit. But finally, my vision went back to normal, allowing me to focus on Yuffie's pointed glare. "You shouldn't be up you know," she said sternly, leaning towards me as if trying to intimidate me. I put one finger on her shoulder and pushed her back a bit – or tried. It was more like pushing a brick wall.

"At least promise me you won't walk around swinging your gunblade like a badass, kay? Relax. We all know you're hot stuff," she muttered sarcastically. "Or at least, Aerith does." I groaned in reply. "Yeah, yeah, alright."

Everyone knew Aerith and Cloud had dated in the past. Even Cid, who kept his nose out of everything. They dated pretty seriously, might I add, and for a good while. But it was a few months ago when they split pretty mutually, and decided to stay friends. They hadn't really talked a lot since the whole thing, but they were close.

I think they stopped talking because Aerith knew why Cloud stopped being interested in her. It wasn't anything personal, it was just that… Cloud wasn't really as interested in women as he thought. Now, it's not like he ever opened up to me or anything – but Yuffie is the queen of dirt and gossip. She loves to spy on people and bribe others for her secrets. However, an empty threat of backhanding her usually worked too, which is how I got all this info.

But the weird thing was, Aerith didn't seem to mind either, because… I think she lost interest in Cloud, too. And from what Yuffie told me, it was because she took a liking to me – and as much of an ego boost that was, I didn't really want to believe it. I was anything but interested in her. Cloud, on the other hand… well. Let's just say I wasn't too disappointed when he broke up with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't want to seem clingy, but I was still worried about him. He was out of bed (which he shouldn't have been), but I didn't want to go looking for him… so I did it anyway. Much to my relief, he was simply on the couch watching TV as usual, but it still bothered me. It was obvious that he was still a bit rattled from his blow, and sleeping would have helped him a lot more than watching Law & Order.

Nonchalantly, I walked past the living room and into the kitchen, rummaging around in the fridge. I heard a quiet voice behind me – "Bring me a beer, will ya?" Rolling my eyes, I grabbed two bottles of Miller and wandered back into the living room, plopping down onto the couch beside the brunette.

"Thanks," Leon muttered, gnawing the cap off with his teeth. I cringed. "Don't do that." "Why d'you care?" he mumbled over the cap in his mouth, keeping his eyes on the TV. Pausing, I stared at him, "'Cause they're twist-off."

Leon turned and stared back at me for the longest time. Stared at me, with those deep blue eyes wide with intent. And just when I thought he might have been leaning in towards me… he burst out laughing. Probably his pain meds – but then, I couldn't help myself, and I bust up laughing too. We cackled for a good three minutes before shutting up and wiping the tears from our eyes, struggling to breathe. By this point, Leon and I had both fallen over a bit, leaning on our elbows to hold ourselves up… and we just happened to be leaning towards each other.

I stared at Leon intently, and into those vivid eyes of his. Those eyes that so many words and thoughts swirled around in, those eyes that told a detailed story. But before I had time to realize that my mouth was hanging open, he reached up and gently grasped my chin, closing it for me. And then… the one thing that I thought would never happen… happened.

He kept his gentle hold on my chin and began to pull my face towards his, leaving a good centimeter between our lips for a moment. And in that moment, we simply gazed into each other's eyes, for just a split second, before our lips finally met.

It began as a soft, simple kiss, Leon gently suckling my bottom lip, his tongue barely brushing the pink flesh. But after a tiny moment… everything changed. We both sat up without ever separating, our hands beginning to explore each other's shoulders and hair. Our mouths opened just enough to let our tongues slip through, which intertwined around each other in a twirling dance. Things continued at a steady pace before our rude interruption.

Splitting the almost-silence, with the only noise in the room being the soft touching of lips and tongue, came a sharp noise from the doorway. A loud inhale of breath, followed by the clap of flesh against flesh. And as Leon and I ripped away from each other with a loud smack of our lips, we both immediately spotted her. There in the doorway stood Aerith, her hand clapped over her mouth, and her eyes wide with what seemed to be sorrow. Before either of us could say a word, she was gone, having fled from the room with a single sob.

"Shit," I muttered, having half-stood up to follow her, but changing my mind at the last minute. She was long gone, anyway. Leon stared in a sort of nonchalant disbelief, one eyebrow cocked. "I didn't think she was interested in you anymore," he murmured, glancing at me.

"She's not," I muttered in reply. "She's interested in you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

I'm not sure how long it took me to process what Cloud had just said. I also wasn't sure how I had missed the signs to begin with. It was so painfully obvious, but I had refused to believe it with the hidden fear that I would hurt her. It's not like I cared too much, considering I really didn't know her all that well – but seeing her run off crying like that made me feel a little pang of guilt.

"D'you think one of us should go talk to her or something..?" I muttered, looking rather confused. I never could figure out how to deal with an emotional woman – which was probably part of the reason that I wasn't really interested in them. Cloud shook his head, staring at the floor. "Nah… give her time. I can guarantee you, she just wants to be alone right now."

I didn't realize it right away, but later I wondered if maybe I had unintentionally hit a small nerve with Cloud. He seemed upset over Aerith's mini-breakdown, and I had to wonder if maybe he still had some sort of feelings for her. Whether those feelings were of affection or just some sort of friend slash sibling type thing, I really couldn't say. Either way, I felt another little pang in my chest – this time of jealousy.

Either way, the aftermaths of the interruption had left us hanging awkwardly in silence, and we went back to our rooms with no more than a hesitant glance at each other. Neither of us was really sure what had just happened – and all I knew was that I sure as hell enjoyed it, and that I wanted more. But for now, I figured I'd let the dust settle first, and maybe even talk to Aerith in an awkward attempt to comfort her.

As I sat alone in my room, half fiddling with my gunblade and mostly thinking about everything that had happened, the door opened without a single knock. All at once, that glimmer of happiness and hope all flooded back to me – and evaporated instantly at the sight of the 'great ninja Yuffie.' She gave me a pained look with her hands on her hips, and I knew what it was about. "Look, I didn't do anything wrong," I muttered, already feeling attacked. But Yuffie just shook her head, stepping into the room with a much slower grace than usual. "No, you didn't," she mumbled, staring at the floor, "But I wish someone had told me what happened. Maybe then I could have stopped her from running off."

"She's _alone _out there?" I asked for the third time, unsure of whether I believed what I was hearing. Leon nodded solemnly, leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He was staring almost angrily at the ground, and I could tell he was blaming himself for this.

Yuffie groaned and shook her head frantically, running her hands through her ebony hair. "This _cannot _be happening," she muttered. Cid grunted and spoke up as well. "She's naïve and emotional, but she ain't stupid. She knows she wouldn't be able to survive an ambush on her own like that." Leon cringed at Cid's observation, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "We need to go look for her," he muttered. Yuffie nodded in agreement, and turned on her heel to run towards the front door. Cid followed her tiredly.

Before Leon could move from his spot against the wall, I stepped closer to him, softly placing my hands on his shoulders. "Leon… you know this isn't your fault, don't you?" I whispered, looking up at him. I hadn't realized how tall he was until now. He shook his head in response, avoiding my gaze. "Yes it is… I should have talked to her," he muttered. "She's probably hurt because of me."

I shook my head firmly, grabbing his face to force him to look at me. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this." And without another word, I tilted my head up, gently taking his lips in mine. The kiss lingered for a good five seconds before he slid his arms around my waist, leaning further into the lip lock. After a moment of soft little kisses, he pulled his face away abruptly, though his arms remained tight around my waist. "Not now," he said softly. It was the gentlest tone I had ever heard him use. He gazed into my eyes for a lingering moment, murmuring in that same soft voice, "We need to find her first." I nodded in reply, placing one last little kiss on his bottom lip before pulling away to get my sword.

In about three minutes, all of us were ready at the front door, weapons in-hand. Cid had fetched his machete, which he hardly ever used, seeing as he focused mostly on the technical issues around the house. Leon had his gunblade in hand, and Yuffie stood with her shuriken in her usual battle-ready stance, giving a firm nod. "Lets go," she muttered, bolting out the door. "Hey- Hey!!" Leon called angrily, holding out his weapon as if to point to her. "Stay close!" He often spoke to her like a child or much younger sister – and with her frequent [and mostly intentional] immaturity, it was usually justified.

Yuffie groaned and muttered something along the lines of 'party-pooper', stopping in her tracks to wait for the two of us, tapping her foot impatiently. "Hurryyyy!!" she whined. Leon growled in response, and Cid gave his usual grunt. I sighed and picked up my pace.

It wasn't too long before we found her… and a part of me wished that we hadn't. We had been wandering around the rocky cliffs of Hollow Bastion for a little under twenty minutes when we saw her. There she lay, crumpled, dirty and bloodsoaked, her body completely stationary. Yuffie clapped her hand over her mouth, Leon cried out, Cid turned away, and I… I don't exactly remember what I did. I think I locked up, I began to shake uncontrollably, and I fell to my knees beside her. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her violently, screaming her name. When she didn't wake up, I began punching the dirt beside her, sobbing uncontrollably.

Leon grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me away, saying something that I refused to hear. I struggled like a cat dropped in a bucket of water. This couldn't be happening. It _couldn't be happening_.

Leon clung to me, not allowing me to squirm anymore. I finally gave up and collapsed in his arms, sobbing loudly. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, whispering things that I couldn't understand over my sobs.

At this point, Yuffie had turned away with tears in her eyes, and Cid had knelt down to examine Aerith's crumpled body. He placed two fingers on her neck, paused, and stood up, shaking his head. I hadn't been paying attention, but I knew. I screamed into Leon's chest, pounding his shoulder with my fist. It wasn't that I blamed him in any way… just that I needed a way to vent my anger. Or maybe it was disbelief.

Either way, Leon turned me away from the scene as I sobbed, holding me tight. Yuffie gave a little sob of her own, beginning her way back to the house alone. Cid knelt down, gently picking up Aerith's cold body and carrying her bridal-style to a nearby crevasse. He laid her there solemnly and stood over her, whispering something. Giving a small salute, he took his jacket off and laid it over her still body, backing away with the utmost caution and grace.

As he caught up with Yuffie, Cid wrapped an arm around her shoulders, mumbling comforting words as they headed back home. Leon stayed behind and simply held me, whispering the occasional hush. It was several minutes before I could control my sobs, and eventually became completely numb… mentally, anyway. Leon looked down at me and frowned. "Come on… we should get back home," he said softly, stroking my hair. I could tell he had been crying as well. I gave one last little sob of defeat and nodded, pulling away from him to head back home.


End file.
